How many times have you wished to be in the place of a celebrity whose life seems flawless? Many people do that and ask themselves why they aren’t the ones experiencing all the glamor and glory that comes with fame. However, what many don’t realize is that not every famous person became wealthy and successful overnight or through privilege. A large number of the celebrities we admire today had to work extremely hard to earn their place. Steve Harvey, one of our favorite comedians and TV hosts, is a perfect example of that. Today, Harvey appears to have it all—but it wasn’t always this way. His father was a coal miner who couldn’t afford to give him much while he was growing up. Steve himself worked a number of jobs over the years, including as a mailman, carpet cleaner, and even a boxer.
Eventually, he started booking stand-up comedy gigs. But instead of keeping the money for himself, he sent it to his ex-wife to support their kids. This left him with nothing—and at one point, he became homeless. “One or two gigs fell through, and suddenly I was homeless… I had nowhere to go… It was so disheartening… A week is really the maximum you can do. This was three years!” he once told PEOPLE magazine. For three years, Steve Harvey lived out of his car, taking showers at gas stations or swimming pool facilities just to stay clean.
His big break came in 1990, when he became an eligible finalist on the “Johnnie Walker National Comedy Search.” This opportunity opened doors for him, and soon after, he became the host of the late-night series “Showtime at the Apollo.”
Steve Harvey has been married three times and has four biological children from his first two marriages. When he married Marjorie Bridges, he adopted her three children, becoming a father of seven. His children look up to him as their role model and the best father they could ever ask for. Recently, they got the chance to express just how much he means to them—live on his show.
His son Jason said:
“You took my mother, but you gained a whole lot more with that. You gave me your last name, and that’s the unthinkable. My father, you know, he did what he could, but he wasn’t there. And you stepped in and you gave me that. If only you knew the true amount of love that I have for you… I need for you to know that now. It don’t get no better than you, Dad. You it.”
Jason’s touching words brought Steve Harvey to tears. He couldn’t hold back his emotions after hearing how deeply his children love and admire him. The audience was also moved, many brought to tears by the heartfelt moment.
After the children shared their feelings, Harvey’s wife, Marjorie, paid tribute to him as well.
“I appreciate the man that you are, the example that you are for our children. I appreciate how you love me, how you loved my children as though they were yours, how you treat my parents as though they were your parents—just everything.”
Steve was overwhelmed. Holding back tears, he said:
“I’ve got four full-time jobs for them. So that when I am done, I want you all to just have remembered that somebody cared more about you than himself. I will defend your honor until the day I die. I love you all—this is what it is for me. This is the greatest moment I’ve ever had. I’m very proud to be your father.”